Who’s Really Listening? What Radio Habits Reveal About Age, Gender, and Income
- Juan Jose (JJ) Ayala
- May 1
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 5
By Juan Jose (JJ) Ayala, Executive Director, Team Percepto
At Team Percepto, we set out to explore two simple but revealing questions:
“How often do you listen to the radio?”
“What time of day do you usually listen to the radio the most?”
Who’s Really Listening?
Radio listening habits by age and gender
With 346 completed surveys from adults ages 18 to 64, we analyzed responses by age, gender, and income to understand not only how people engage with radio, but who is tuning out and why.
Radio Isn’t Dead. But It Isn’t for Everyone.
Many people still tune in regularly. In fact, we found that radio remains part of the daily routine for a wide range of working-age adults, regardless of income level.
Men ages 25 to 44 earning $50K to $99K are frequent listeners, mostly in the early morning and afternoon.
Women ages 45 to 54 earning $25K to $74K also listen often, especially during midday hours.
Men ages 55 to 64 and women ages 35 to 44 show strong engagement with slight differences in timing.
Insight: These groups are not just casually tuning in. They are building radio into their day. Age and gender play a stronger role than income. The most consistent listeners are between 25 and 64 years old.
Younger Adults Are Pulling Away
Engagement dropped sharply among younger adults aged 18 to 24, regardless of gender or income.
Many reported rare or no listening.
Some explicitly stated they do not listen to the radio at all.
Others chose “Varies” or “No specific time” when asked about when they tune in.
Insight: This group appears disconnected from the medium. Whether that is about content, platform, or personal habit, these patterns suggest that radio is not resonating with them right now. Some of that disconnection is self-reported. It is not just a matter of irregular habits. A portion of this audience does not feel connected to radio at all.
So, Does Income Matter?
Income was a less reliable predictor of listening behavior than age or gender.
Both high and low earners appeared in the high and low engagement groups.
The strongest cluster of regular listeners came from those earning $25K to $99K, but age and routine were more consistent indicators.
Insight: Routine matters more than income. It is not about how much someone earns. It is about where they are in life and how their day is structured.
Why Primary Research Matters
One of the most important takeaways is that primary research doesn’t just answer questions. It creates better ones.
When we saw that some respondents said they do not listen to radio at all, it opened new areas to explore. Is content irrelevant? Are platforms out of sync with how they consume media? Are habits forming elsewhere?
These are not assumptions. They are informed questions worth pursuing.
That is the power of well-designed research. It not only helps you understand behavior, it reveals where strategies may need to evolve. Primary research shows where attention is missing, what needs refining, and where future investments might pay off.
Primary research is not a one-night stand. It is an ongoing relationship with your audience. The more consistently you invest in it, the more responsive and adaptive your strategy becomes.
Radio listening habits by age and gender.
Who’s Really Listening?
Want to Dig Deeper?
This article offers a high-level view of our findings. For a more detailed breakdown by age, gender, and income, including device usage patterns and full context, you can download the complete version of our study.
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